The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) and UK government programme MOBILIST, have announced a new partnership at a launch event in Nairobi. The launch was attended by His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa, John Humphrey, at the start of a three-day visit to Kenya.

The partnership aims to drive the listing of new investment products in the Kenyan market and increase the amount of private sector capital available for development and climate projects in Kenya, and generate growth.

MOBILIST, an innovative part of the UK Government’s investment partnerships offer, provides investment and technical assistance to help businesses that contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to overcome the barriers that keep them from listing on a stock exchange.

The programme has similar partnerships with several emerging market exchanges, including the Nigerian Exchange and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), and will consider applications from eligible Kenyan firms.

Trade Commissioner Humphrey’s visit to Kenya, which comes after recent trips to Egypt and Ethiopia, will focus on delivering long-term investment projects that support the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership – an ambitious five-year agreement that is unlocking mutual economic benefits for the UK and Kenya, without loading Kenya with unsustainable debt.

In Nairobi he will meet the Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry, H.E Salim Mvurya, to drive forward the implementation of flagship UK-Kenya climate projects that support President Ruto’s Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII). He will also launch the British Business Breakfast Club, to listen to the challenges facing British-Kenyan enterprises.

Mr Humphrey will also visit Naivasha to meet one of Kenya’s biggest exporters of cut flowers, Flamingo Flowers – a British business that employs 11,000 people in Kenya. They are benefitting from the global suspension of the 8% export tariff for cut flowers entering the UK, an example of the UK supporting markets that matter to Kenya, by removing barriers in areas which aim to have an immediate economic impact.

His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa, John Humphrey, said:

Mobilising investment solutions in Kenya are vital to economic growth as they provide a platform for Kenyan businesses to raise the capital they need to expand their operations, increase cross-border trade, and employ more Kenyans – and at the same tackle climate change and achieve critical development goals.

Long-term investments that deliver lasting change for the people of both our countries are the cornerstone of the UK-Kenya economic relationship. We go far when we go together – I am delighted to be back in Kenya to deliver our mutually beneficial partnership which is rooted in respect.

Nairobi Securities Exchange CEO, Frank Mwiti, said:

The NSE is delighted to partner with the UK government-backed MOBILIST Programme. The strategic partnership between the NSE and MOBILIST aligns with our new strategic focus aimed at enabling the NSE to play a more dynamic role in mobilising and channelling capital to sectors that have the most significant capital needs, with a special focus on sustainable development. As a market, we will continue providing a pivotal intersection connecting capital to investment-grade opportunities in Kenya for sustained economic growth

MOBILIST Programme Lead at the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Ross Ferguson, said:

Public markets in Kenya and other African economies hold great untapped potential to mobilise the private capital the continent urgently needs to gain ground in addressing the SDGs and the severe impact of climate change. MOBILIST is proud to partner with the NSE in building a local capital market that can give the African firms working on these challenges access to the capital they need to grow.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Government of UK.

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) established a sewing workshop at the Women’s Shelter within the King’s Hope Development Foundation, located in the Olievenhoutbosch neighborhood of Tshwane, South Africa, to empower women through vocational training.

The unused space at the King’s Hope Women’s Shelter in Olievenhoutbosch, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Tshwane, was renovated and equipped with sewing machines by TİKA.

Ten female trainees who successfully completed the first training program at the sewing workshop, established by TİKA to empower women in a region struggling with high unemployment, poverty, rising crime rates and limited access to basic services, received their certificates at a ceremony.

The women who participated in the training at the TİKA-established sewing workshop expressed their gratitude for this life-changing opportunity, noting that the skills they gained boosted their self-confidence and made them feel empowered.

The opening ceremony of the workshop was attended by Türkiye’s Ambassador to South Africa, Ayşegül Kandaş; TİKA Program Coordinator, Abdulkadir Abukan; Olievenhoutbosch Municipal Councilor, Obed Mahloko; King’s Hope General Director, Portia Tshibalo and community leader, Kgomotso Khalushi.

At the opening ceremony; Türkiye’s Ambassador to South Africa, Ayşegül Kandaş emphasized the importance of women’s economic empowerment and expressed her pride in the impact of TİKA’s projects in South Africa.

TİKA Program Coordinator Abdulkadir Abukan reiterated TİKA’s commitment to sustainable development and thanked King’s Hope for their cooperation in making the project a success. He stated that TİKA aims to implement initiatives that provide long-term benefits to communities.

Community leader Kgomotso Khalushi highlighted the positive impact of TİKA’s work and expressed hope for more future projects aimed at supporting young people in Olievenhoutbosch.

In his speech, Olievenhoutbosch Municipal Councilor Obed Mahloko thanked TİKA for its valuable contributions to the community and emphasized the importance of ongoing support for local development initiatives.

Portia Tshibalo, General Director of King’s Hope, emphasized the empowering impact of the project on women in the community and expressed her gratitude to TİKA and the Turkish people for their support.

One of the graduates, Noziwe Banda, shared how the training not only equipped her with sewing skills but also helped her rebuild her life after surviving domestic violence. Banda expressed her confidence in her ability to sew any kind of dress using the skills she acquired.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

World Health Organization (WHO) in the African Region and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have endorsed a regional collaboration framework to strengthen public health emergency response, especially at the community level, and bolster health security.

With the WHO in the African Region’s presence in 47 countries and the IFRC’s Africa Regional Office’s support of 49 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in sub-Saharan Africa as well as over 1.4 million volunteers and 12 000 branches, the two organizations are leveraging their vast networks and presence on the continent to support governments in scaling up response at the community level.

To address the ongoing mpox outbreak, WHO in the African Region and IFRC are reinforcing their long-standing collaboration to support Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ramp up measures for an effective response to halt the outbreak. The collaboration can be expanded to include other countries facing active mpox cases, as well as other public health emergencies.

“As the continent and the world face new and emerging threats, our enduring partnership remains crucial in safeguarding health, enhancing emergency preparedness, and building a healthier, more resilient Africa,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

WHO and IFRC have collaborated for decades on the continent, driven by a deep-rooted commitment to save lives. The new collaboration framework will facilitate closer coordination and alignment in the response to health emergencies in Africa. It aims to enhance capacity-building in national health workforces, strengthen disaster preparedness and risk reduction, increase vaccine access and expand evidence-based action. The partnership will also streamline and integrate preparedness approaches within ministries of health and address the health impacts of climate change, among other priority areas for collaborative action across the continent.

Approximately 500 000 IFRC volunteers are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that accounts for 90% of all mpox cases in Africa. They have been trained in community-based surveillance, community engagement, risk communication and case management. 

“Our volunteers are members of the community who have built social trust over many years. They generate large reservoirs of applied research and data on the health status of communities,” said Mohammed Omer Mukhier-Abuzein, IFRC Regional Director for Africa. 

With an estimated ratio of one volunteer for every 200 people living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the IFRC workforce will play a crucial role in passing real-time information about suspected outbreaks to WHO’s national mpox response team. This team includes polio experts who have demonstrated considerable effectiveness in previous disease eradication initiatives. 

“By combining WHO’s technical expertise and national coordination with IFRC’s grassroots community mobilization, we can create a powerful and complementary response mechanism. This partnership ensures interventions are scientifically sound and locally relevant, setting a new standard for integrated and effective outbreak responses,” said Dr Abdou Salam Gueye, WHO’s Regional Emergency Director for Africa. 

Epidemiological surveillance conducted in collaboration with IFRC will support the mpox vaccine rollout in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is set to begin in the coming weeks. WHO will be able to use data to guide vaccines to where they are needed most. 

WHO is supporting countries experiencing mpox outbreaks through multiple response strategies, including enhancing disease surveillance, vaccine introduction readiness, contact tracing, training and combating misinformation. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met with HE Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Sudan Hussein Awad Ali, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79) in New York.

During the meeting, they reviewed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to support and enhance them, as well as a number of regional and international issues of common interest.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.